Journal of Hip Hop Studies
Abstract
A qualitative content analysis was conducted on the lyrics of 59 songs (40 Hip Hop songs; 17 R&B songs; 2 songs that represented the Hip Hop and R&B genre) from 1961-2013 to identify the ways that Black male and Black female artists described motherhood. The songs were determined by Billboard Chart Research Services, and Black Feminist Theory provided the theoretical foundation on which the themes were identified. Qualitative analysis of the lyrics revealed Black motherhood in R&B and Hip Hop to be based on the following four typologies: (1) Motherhood as Source of Emotional Comfort and Support; (2) Motherhood as Source of Strength and Self-Confidence; (3) Motherhood as Superior to Fatherhood; (4) Motherhood as Teacher and Disciplinarian; and (5) Motherhood Instills Unconditional Endless Love. Supporting qualitative lyrics are provided to support each of the aforementioned themes.
DOI
https://doi.org/10.34718/QRFC-NK89
Volume
2
Issue
1
Rights
© The Journal
Recommended Citation
Chaney, Cassandra and Brown, Arielle
(2015)
"Is Black Motherhood A Marker of Oppression or Empowerment? Hip-Hop and R&B Lessons about "Mama","
Journal of Hip Hop Studies: Vol. 2:
Iss.
1, Article 5.
Available at:
https://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/jhhs/vol2/iss1/5